Page 4 - Millenial Finomics Issue 1
P. 4

Economics




      The Crushing Effect of







      COVID-19 on Egypt’s






      Tourism Industry






      - Hana Abdulla




                                           entrepreneurial in-                  times the loss of the

      The emergence                        novation. Howev-                     Global Economic
      of globalization has  er, with the sudden                                 Crisis in 2009. This

      proven to be a fun-                  emergence and rapid  drastic fall has un-

      damental aspect of                   outbreak of COV-                     doubtedly had a se-

      the internationaliza- ID-19, many global  vere impact on mil-

      tion of economies                    economic sectors                     lions of businesses                          In fact, in 2018 the industry                          15.38% increase.  Unfortunately

      in the 21st century,                 face devastating re-                 and a plethora of                            generated 11.9% of the national  this depicts a false fantasy for

      heavily influencing                  percussions. Indeed,  jobs in the tourism                                         GDP, amounting to EGP 528.7  the Egyptian tourism sector.

      the international                    the UNWTO reports  industry.                                                      billion. It also represents 9.7%

      tourism industry’s                   that global respons-                                                              of total employment in the                             Egypt had just begun to see a
      recent rapid growth.  es to the pandem-                                   Tourism is consid-                           Egyptian labor force. The World  positive incline in its tourism

      For many countries,  ic between January                                   ered to be a corner-                         Travel and Tourism Council                             rates following the political tur-

      this sector acts as                  through June trans-                  stone for the growth                         reports that Egypt’s tourism                           moil in 2011, 2013, and terrorist

      a significant factor                 lates to a loss of 440  of the Egyptian                                           sector is the fastest-growing in                       attacks in 2015, however, it is

      in the country’s so-                 million internation-                 economy, classed                             North Africa, with a growth rate  now yet again facing more re-

      cio-economic devel- al tourists and over                                  as the third source                          of 16.5%, quadrupling the inter-                       percussions of a global and na-

      opment, contributing  USD 400 million lost  of Egypt’s national                                                        national average rate (3.9 percent).  tional crisis. Data compiled by
      to its GDP through  in international ex-                                  income, after remit-                         In 2019 numbers showed that                            the UNWTO shows that Egypt

      foreign investments,  port revenue. This                                  tances of Egyptian                           13.6 million people had visited                        has experienced a 58.6% decline

      exports, employ-                     has been estimated                   expatriates and non-                         Egypt and numbers in 2020 were  in the number of tourists up to

      ment, and enabling                   to be more than five oil exports.                                                 expected to exceed 15 million - a  this point, and a decrease of

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